Eucalyptus sheets stay cleaner for longer
Guess what? Oh, you already read the headline? Well, it's true. You don't have to wash your eucalyptus sheets as often as, say, cotton or polyester sheets. Sounds too good to be true? Allow us to drop some science.
(BTW, the information in this blog post is scattered across several other blog posts and our Learn Some Sheet page, but we wanted to consolidate it here for easy access.)
Moisture-management is the key to clean sheets
Eucalyptus Lyocell does two things really well when it comes to moisture: it absorbs it and wicks it away. Those two things may sound at odds but they're part of a system that help keep your sheets cool AND clean.
Some moisture is a good thing
Eucalyptus retains about 10% of the moisture from the atmosphere at all times. Water is a great temperature regulator, so this moisture is the main reason why eucalyptus sheets keep you cool and comfortable all night.
Too much moisture is a bad thing
While holding some moisture is undoubtedly a good thing (see above), holding too much is a very bad thing. Moisture breeds icky, nasty bedfellows like dust mites, bacteria, and fungi. Not the foursome you were fantasizing about, huh?
When you sleep, it's normal to lose a liter of water vapor each night (even more if you're a hot sleeper). If this moisture builds up, your bed is going to get super gross super quickly. Thankfully, eucalyptus is wicked good at wicking moisture.
Eucalyptus wicks away moisture and sweat
Eucalyptus lyocell is extremely effective at wicking moisture and sweat across the fabric when you sleep.
Why?
Because lyocell has what's called a nano-fibril cellular structure that provides stellar kinetic function.
Okay, what?
Basically, tiny little microscopic capillaries (see below) help transfer moisture from fiber to fiber, yarn to yarn, creating more air surface for evaporation. The result is cool, dry sheets that create a hostile environment for bacteria, dust mites, and fungi.
Polyester and cotton sheets that don't transfer moisture as well create a wetter environment (and poor temperature regulation), which helps breed those icky nasty things we won't ever mention again.
Eucalyptus sheets are static-free
Did you know eucalyptus sheets are also static free? You did? Okay, you can totally skip this section. If this is news to you, read on.
Eucalyptus is made from cellulose (wood pulp) and with a sateen weave construction, which gives it a very low surface friction, aka it's super duper soft. One of the benefits to this (aside from the super duper softness) is there is virtually no electrostatic charge in the fabrics.
Sure, this means you won't get zapped when you're sliding into bed, but it also keeps the bedding cleaner.
Sheets with an electrostatic charge (like cotton and polyester) attract pet hair, human hair, dirt, dust particles, lint, and cicadas*. Not so for eucalyptus sheets. The result is cleaner, allergy-free bedding that only attracts people who like cleaner sheets and gooder sleep.
*just kidding about the cicadas
Wash your eucalyptus sheets less often
What's the best part about sheets that stay cleaner? You don't have to wash them as often. (Making these the sheets we so wish we had in college.)
Sheets that don't need to be washed as frequently last longer (less wear and tear) and save you time and money (less water and detergent). What will you do with all that time not spent washing sheets? Sleep. The answer is sleep.
So if you like sleeping cleaner and hate doing laundry, try a set of eucalyptus sheets.
Fresh and clean as a bouquet of sage